Pentagon to adopt FBI's suspicious activity reporting system

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has ordered the Defense Department to use the FBI’s eGuardian suspicious activity reporting system to record and track law-enforcement information about potential threats against the military or military installations.

Adoption of the eGuardian system, which is now deployed on a pilot basis, was one of the key recommendations of a review panel that looked at security on military installations in the wake of the Nov. 5, 2009, mass shootings at Fort Hood, Texas. The system is FBI-owned and will enable the sharing of unclassified information among federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies.

At the time of the Fort Hood shootings, DOD was still searching for a replacement for the defunct Threat and Location Observation Notice reporting system, which was terminated in August 2007. One of the issues raised during the follow-up to the shootings is whether the military had done a sufficient job of evaluating any pre-shooting warning signs from the alleged shooter, Army psychiatrist Maj. Nidal Malik Hasan.

Data will be entered into eGuardian only by authorized personnel trained in the federal guidelines and FBI procedures protecting civil liberties, Gates said, and data will be reviewed to ensure that information based solely on ethnicity, race or religion is not entered into the system.

Gates directed the department to establish a plan and issue policy and procedures for the implementation of the system no later than June 30.

OPM is partnering with CSID to try to manage the fallout from a massive breach of some 4 million federal personnel records.

Reader comments

Thu, Sep 27, 2012
Sophia

I know a positive way in which this can be accomplished. Why not set up a training system for CLEARED new hirees to be employed specifically to track and investigate, then REPORT analysis(suspects) to authorities, somewhat like the FBI's "Report a Crime" /and "IC3 units" of the FBI; the system can be set up to be in line with existing "O.S." methods, but cleared appointees could be hired to conduct criminal (et alii)searches. CREATE JOBS! Training could be implemented through FBI channels/training; there are already problems that pre-exist in FBI hiring practices (too many "outsiders"), so I suggest a Joint-Task Force Board (civ/mil); you might also consider some of the EXISTING resumes for some of those who are already well-qualified for the position, especially adpet investigators/researchers who can "take classes/training" and increase certification to upgrade their current knowledge. To avoid "racial" complications, you can stipulate that applicants MUST HAVE BEN A US CITIZEN for the PAST 20 years, if over a certain age. For those under 30, requirements should be strictly set accordingly. I've turned in WAY too many cheaters in college, so please remember to address that. I would be willing to pay for training, as I am sure other qualified candidates would be. I am also willing to take a polygraph and background check, but I am still suspicious of the ignorance in the FBI these days, so this is why the dual agency/"JTF" was suggested.

Sun, Jun 5, 2011

Does the LNI's system allow for the near real time collaboration of threat information across approximately 18,000 law enforcement agencies, bridge to the FBI's network of over 100 JTTFs of which most comprise multiple DoD staffers? Not sure you know what eG is really about. It's a great fit for force protection requirements within DoD. The LNI system and eG is like comparing apples and oranges...

Thu, May 27, 2010

One must wonder why this adoption by the military of a decidedly Law Enforcement approach to improve awareness of its surroundings made no mention of--and apparently has no plans for integration with--DoD's already highly successful "Library of National Intelligence" developed and implemented across the Defense Intelligence Agency. The LNI uses XML content created by DIA facilities worldwide, managing them in a central repository with full and highly nuanced search capability with sophisticated classification schemes. Moreover, because the LNI uses the highly flexible ICML XML structures for content, it is much better able to handle the often hazy and ambiguous nature of "suspicious activity." While SARS may have value in law enforcement circles, I believe DoD is making a mistake in its attempt to force-fit it to a very different environment when it already has a workable and proven answer in place with the LNI.

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